New York Knicks: Reliving Carmelo Anthony’s top five moments with NYK
Carmelo Anthony returned to Madison Square Garden on Saturday night. Some loved him, others resented him, but he left New York Knicks fans with some great memories.
Carmelo Anthony returned to MSG for the first time as a visitor in over six seasons. While he wasn’t able to bring a championship to New York, he still left New York Knicks fans with plenty of incredible moments.
In no particular order, here are Anthony’s top five moments as a Knick.
Melo’s debut
On February 22, 2011, after months of trade speculation, Carmelo Anthony was finally traded to the Knicks. On February 23, he made his debut against the Milwaukee Bucks at the Garden.
For any Knicks fan who was either at the game or watching on television, hearing Anthony’s name announced for the first time as he walked out of the tunnel was chill-inducing.
Seeing that No. 7 Knicks jersey symbolized a new era of Knicks basketball—one that fans envisioned would lead to championship success. Nobody knew what the future held. Nobody knew whether the Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire could coexist.
All Knicks fans knew was that their team had just acquired a player who, at the time, was top 10 in the league. On that cold February night, that was all that mattered.
Clutch Heroics Against Chicago
In April of 2012, the Knicks were in a difficult position. Linsanity had died down for the most part, as Jeremy Lin was shut down due to a knee injury, and the Knicks were fighting for a playoff spot.
Fans had questioned Melo’s fit next to Lin, with some even preferring Lin over the now 10-time All-Star. On April 8, when the top-seeded Chicago Bulls came to town, Anthony tipped the scale in his favor.
He finished with 43 points, but that wasn’t even the best part.
Anthony hit both the game-tying three to send the game to overtime, and the game-winning three in OT to give the Knicks the lead—and ultimately, the win.
It was the ultimate clutch performance; one that sent all witnesses into pandemonium.
After Linsanity had swept over New York City, Anthony reminded fans everywhere that the Knicks were his team, and that they’d go as far as he could take them.
62
Ever since Kobe Bryant scored 61 points at Madison Square Garden back in 2009, Knicks fans had been irked that the record for the most points scored in a single game at The Mecca didn’t belong to a Knick.
On January 24, 2014, Anthony changed that. He not only broken the Madison Square Garden record, but the Knicks’ record, as well, which was previously held by Bernard King.
Anthony scored 62 points on 23-of-35 shooting, including a shot from mid-court at the end of the second quarter that capped off a 37-point half.
To hold the franchise scoring record for any team is special. But to hold the record for both a team and an arena with so much history is arguably Anthony’s greatest accomplishment as a pro.
Game 2, 2011 NBA Playoffs
In 2011, the Knicks reached the playoffs for the first time since 2004. After losing a heartbreaker to the Boston Celtics in Game 1, the Knicks were hoping to steal a game and send the series back to New York tied at 1-1.
With Chauncy Billups out and Amar’e Stoudemire in pain, Anthony took it upon himself to try to single-handedly beat the Celtics.
He came pretty close, scoring 42 points to go along with 17 rebounds, six assists, and two blocks. Despite the loss, this game gave Knicks fans a glimpse of what type of player they’d acquired only a few months prior.
It was Anthony at his best.
The degree of difficulty on the shots that Anthony was taking and making gave Knicks fans hope that, with a few tweaks to the roster, Anthony could become the one to lead the team to greater things.
2012-13 season
The 2012-13 season will always be remembered fondly by Knicks fans. The Knicks finished second in the Eastern Conference with a record of 54-28, their best finish since 1996-97.
That team was known for raining down threes before it was cool, breaking the old record for the most three-point field goals made by a team in a single season with 2,371.
At the center of it all was Carmelo Anthony.
That year, Anthony had listened to new teammate Jason Kidd’s advice about ball movement. Ironically, it led to Melo winning the scoring title with an average of 28.7 points per game.
Anthony finished third in the MVP voting behind LeBron James and Kevin Durant, and led the Knicks to the second round of the playoffs—their first appearance in said round since 2000.
That season was beautiful to watch as fans got to see Anthony play with a joy they rarely got to witness.
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Thank you for the memories, Carmelo Anthony. You did the New York Knicks proud.